国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

Business / Companies

Govt concerned over money-laundering claims at ICBC's Madrid branch

By Jiang Xueqing (China Daily) Updated: 2016-02-19 07:53

China has expressed its concern over a raid by Spanish law enforcement officers on the Madrid branch of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday: "The Chinese government always demands that domestic companies operating abroad strictly abide by the laws, both of China and the country they are working in.

"At the same time, we hope Spain will handle relevant issues fairly according to the laws, guarantee the legal rights of Chinese companies and staff there, and maintain good development of Sino-Spanish relations."

He said Spain has become an important destination for Chinese investments, which have benefited both countries.

Reuters reported the Spanish authorities had arrested five ICBC directors in its capital branch on Wednesday, as part of a joint investigation by the country's Civil Guard and Spain's Anti-Corruption Attorney's Office into the laundering of at least 40 million euros ($44.5 million).

Agence France-Presse quoted the Spanish police as saying the raid was a follow-up to a major operation launched last year that targeted Chinese gangs based in Madrid suspected of importing huge amounts of undeclared goods from China, to avoid paying import duties.

The crime groups allegedly deposited their earnings into ICBC, which is accused of then sending the funds to China without checking their origin, AFP reported.

The bank said in a statement it is closely following the investigation, and has sent directors of ICBC (Europe) and lawyers to its Madrid branch to cooperate with the investigators.

"We always maintain the basic management principles of strictly enforcing anti-money laundering regulations and insisting on legal and compliance management.

"Our Madrid branch is cooperating actively with the investigation," the bank said.

The Chinese embassy in Spain reiterated in a statement on Wednesday the Chinese government demands all accredited Chinese companies working abroad strictly abide by the law.

"According to the information in our possession, all the Chinese offices in Spain have acted according to these demands," the embassy said.

ICBC opened its first Spanish branch in Madrid in January 2011, followed by a second one in Barcelona a year later.

At present, the bank has 400 overseas outlets in 42 countries and regions.

Gao Ming, general manager of the lender's international banking department, said last year it would further expand its global footprint.

Like other Chinese commercial lenders, ICBC is adjusting its business strategy to deal with challenges such as interest-rate liberalization, the reduction of banks' role as middlemen, and increasing competition from Internet finance.

Chairman Jiang Jianqing said its global expansion has helped the bank overcome these challenges by boosting profits.

Zeng Gang, director of banking research at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Finance and Banking, said it is inevitable that banks and companies from all countries face legal risks during transnational development.

"Chinese banks should carefully plan their internationalization strategies, paying close attention to compliance risks, and defending their legitimate rights and interests," he said.

Hot Topics

Editor's Picks
...
牙克石市| 抚宁县| 阿城市| 呼玛县| 屯留县| 永仁县| 南平市| 新和县| 湖北省| 温泉县| 诸城市| 靖边县| 康定县| 武乡县| 中江县| 藁城市| 宜黄县| 永胜县| 柏乡县| 伊川县| 稻城县| 黄骅市| 福州市| 文山县| 苗栗县| 双鸭山市| 美姑县| 黔南| 靖江市| 中方县| 札达县| 嘉义市| 陵川县| 伊金霍洛旗| 垦利县| 嘉禾县| 凭祥市| 永德县| 勐海县| 两当县| 青海省|